Profiles in Success: Stories

Marco Bongioanni

Marco Bongioanni

Dept. of Veterans Affairs

Military Experience

Marco served as an Army Officer in Logistics from 2001-2010 and since 2010 has continued as an Army Reserve Officer in Civil Affairs. He deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002-03 and 2007-08 and once in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to the Horn of Africa in 2012.
“Duty, selfless service, and integrity were key values I developed in the military,” he said, “these now serve me as a pillar for action in my civilian life.” In terms of an intangible skill, he said he learned that, “Resiliency is the mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and behavioral ability to face and cope with adversity, adapt to change, recover, learn and grow from setbacks. These strengths I learned well.”

How Edge4vets Mentors Helped Me

“Edge4Vet’s mentors helped deepen my ‘rolodex’ from a networking standpoint. Meeting mentors who can connect you to the corporate, non-profit, or government sectors is a great way to build your civilian list of contacts. Also, I liked the way Edge4Vets painted the fluid-fixed-fluid transition that many veterans face transitioning back to the civilian world. The transition from ‘I’ to ‘We’ and back to ‘I’ again is often the most difficult to master. In the military your battle buddy, squad, or platoon helps you.
But as a civilian, back in the “I” culture, you are responsible for successfully negotiating that interview that can land you a job. Again the personal mentoring I received in Edge4Vets helped me navigate this path back to a successful civilian life.”

How Marco Is Using His Military Skills In Civilian Life

“I graduated from Fordham in 2012 with a Master’s in Ed in Mental Health Counseling, currently I work with Department of Veterans Affairs as a readjustment therapist at the Bronx Vet Center. I specialize in counseling veterans with PTSD and military psychology. Again, I come back to Resiliency. Everyday my ability to be resilient helps me overcome challenges and remain balanced and clear-headed as I strive to help my clients.”

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Anny Pena

Anny Pena

Standard Chartered Bank

Edge4Vets provided guidance to help me find good examples I could use in interviews and they shared what employers are looking for and why they want to hire veterans.

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Chrissy Burbach

Chrissy Burbach

United Nations Mission to the Congo

The mentors provided suggestions to help me to talk confidently about my achievements, and invaluable advice on how best to present myself in job interviews.

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Dawn Jolly

Dawn Jolly

Pfizer

Edge4Vets mentors helped me realize that my skills were highly transferable and that corporations such as Pfizer Inc. could benefit from my skills and experiences.

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Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams

1-800-Flowers

Edge4Vets gave me one-to-one interviewing practice which was invaluable. I learned how to understand how valuable my military experience could be to find a job.

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Joseph Gamez

Joseph Gamez

Metropolitan Transit Authority

Edge4Vets helped me to effectively write my resume with accomplishments that I had been overlooking but are real and are marketable.

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Kimberly Alonzo

Kimberly Alonzo

Drexel Hamilton

Edge4Vets mentors helped me realize that I had tremendous skills, especially attention to detail. They taught me how that skill would allow me to sell myself for my commitment to safety.

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Macy Garner

Macy Garner

Delta Airlines

At Edge4Vets I learned not to limit myself to one specific skill and as a result I was able to get a job with Delta.

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